House visits by planets: Understand how transits work

Planetary transits have a 25% impact on a dasha’s results. Seeking Vedic remedies in time can make all the difference

‘Hi, I am coming to stay in your 10^th House this year’, says Saturn. Or Rahu winks and tells you, ‘Here I come to your 8^th House.’Should you be scared? Delighted? Indifferent? Depending on your horoscope, you can feel any of these emotions.

Table of Content

• Understanding transits work
• What’s a transit?
• What is the effect of a transit?
• Is everyone affected by a transit?
• What are the remedies for a Mars/Ketu understanding transits?

Understanding transits work

Transits are the planets’ movements through the 12 Houses of a horoscope, each planet completing a full zodiac round. Some planets stay for a short while, while others linger for more extended periods. For example, Jupiter spends around one year on each sign. On the other hand, Saturn stays in a sign or House for about two-and-a-half years or more; Rahu spends about 18 months in each sign or House. Moon has a rapid transit plan as it stays only for 2.5 days in one sign, and the Sun stays for around 30 days per sign or House.

What does all this mean? Let’s start with the basics. (It’s always a good place to begin).

Tell me what’s a transit.

As said earlier, transits are the movements of planets through the houses of a horoscope. When our horoscope is cast at the time of birth, it’s a fixed natal chart of the planets that occupy the various signs/Houses at that exact moment. It’s a freeze shot of the planetary positions as they were then, and it is one template of the events to take place. But the planets do not stop moving. This movement of planets through our fixed chart is a transit.

What is the effect of a transit?

Just as the position of planets fixed in our birth chart influences our destiny, the movements of planets also have a role to play. Our destiny is an interplay between these fixed and movable forces.

Transits impact our minds, actions, and outcomes. The effect can be positive or disastrous. The results of transits cannot be generalized since a planet’s movement into one House can augur well for an individual while it can bring gloom to another.

Transits work at multiple levels, impacting health, wealth, relationships, and prosperity. So, it is essential to understanding transits since they have a say in approximately 25 per cent of how Dasha’s fruits will be delivered to you. Also, transits control your state of mind and decide your happiness index.

For example, you might be getting married. If the transit is favourable, you will marry your dream partner; if bad, you might wed the wrong person. Transits can make us dance like puppets!  

All of us make decisions that we sometimes regret, and at other times, we rejoice because those decisions turned out to be the best. It’s the transits at work! 

Is everyone affected by a transit?

When writing this blog in 2018, Mars and Ketu were transiting Capricorn. So, I will deal with the effects of this transit.

The questions are:

• Are all affected by this transit?

• Is it all bad for everyone?

• Remedies or precautions one can take.

• When will it end?

The answer to the first one is YES; everyone is affected by the transit. However, the answer to the second is NO since many have benefitted from the transit. So let us first understanding transits what qualified this transit as tricky. Once we know the WHY, we shall focus on WHAT and HOW to mitigate the risk.

Here are the essential aspects:

• Mars and Ketu are fiery planets with much heat (Agni).
• They are lords of the natural 1st and 8th Houses of the natal chart – Aries and Scorpio. The first House rules fame, health, and Intellect, whereas the 8th House debts and transformation.
• Mars is exalted in Capricorn.
• It leads to extreme heat, which is dangerous. Too much of anything is not good, correct?
• 10th House is bars and Ketu’s natural digbala (directional strength).

These are the primary factors. Now, let us understanding transits how transits can impact you directly or indirectly. The indirect impact can be via your country or government if they go through a rough phase.

Let us look at a birth chart for a practical example:

The above is my client’s chart. He was reluctant to ask me questions because he was unsure how I could help him merely by looking at his chart. Nevertheless, he decided to take a chance. After about five minutes into the Vastu consultation and rectifying his chart, I told him he had a relationship issue.

How did I reach that conclusion? 

Due to the following factors:

• His natal chart (left) has Jupiter as Ātmakāraka in Saturn’s House, his Darakaraka. (Darakaraka is the planet that shares inside details about marriage/relationship).
• Saturn placed in Scorpio is not telling a happy story either.
• 7th lord Mars is in the 8th House with badhaka Sun and MKS (Marana Karaka Sthana) Moon.

Note: The 8th House breaks a marriage or creates turbulence in a marriage, like leading to an affair, etc.

TIP: Focus on the 12^th from Moon

• The client’s Mars Mahadasha began in December 2017.
• Other Dashas also confirmed an unhappy marriage for him.
• It signalled the entry of another woman into his life.

Let’s take a closer look

It was definite that a relationship was a sticking point. But what was going on in my client’s mind? I needed to look at the understanding transits chart (right) to reconfirm my assessment and give him recommendations. The understanding transits chart reveals:

• Malefic planets Mars and Ketu transiting Capricorn, which is his 4th House. The 4th House relates to heart, comfort, and a home return. There is a perpetual problem when malefic planets are placed here in a natal chart, and during a planetary understanding transits, it creates a temporary situation.
• He has a debilitated Jupiter (AK), which is not good.
• Mars/Ketu ensure massive churning in his heart/home and agitate, frustrate, and confuse him.
• In his natal chart, he has three planets in the 8th House. Hence his divorce will not be easy.
• The transit ends by November 6, 2018, after which he will get more clarity about his situation, but the divorce will not be easy.

Any example of a direct positive effect due to this transit?

Look at the birth chart below.

• The native has an Aries ascendant in the chart below, and Mars/Ketu are powerful.
• Mars is AtmaKaraka, and its 3rd House placement is excellent.
• Ketu is in the Ascendant (Lagna); hence is strong too; planets in Lagna are naturally strong.
• The understanding transits of Mars and Ketu in this individual’s chart is in the 10th House of work. But as Mars and Ketu are powerful in his natal chart, it did not affect him negatively; instead, it was favorable because he was prepared and did the required remedy.

What do the above placements indicate?

There was too much Agni/Fire transiting his 10^th House of work, and he tended to be aggressive in his work which he needed to temper. Though the transit did not impact his finances, it affected his health. He suffered a fracture and was off active busy for six weeks. Ketu rules his 8th House (Scorpio) of debts/transformation/health, which led to some discomfort due to injury. Finance was the least of his issues because the remedies were done in advance.

So, what’s the conclusion?

It’s simple: Vedic Astrological remedies alter the ill-effects of a understanding transits that otherwise could have been disastrous. Controlling aggression helped my client prevent tension at work and calmed matters down. And with both Mars and Ketu well placed, the native enjoyed his career and has been in the happy zone!

Any example of an adverse effect due to the Mars/Ketu understanding transits?

Look at the above chart, which has a Scorpio Lagna ruled by Mars/Ketu. This native is going through serious cash flow issues. Here are the critical observations:

• Unlike in the previous chart, the understanding transits is in the 3rd House of Parakrama. Hence the native must fight for his sustenance and keep his cash flow stable.
• Positive feature? Both Mars and Ketu are his Lagna lords; therefore, they help him find a solution – he keeps getting extensions from banks.
• He has high financial stress as Mars and Ketu in his natal chart are in the 6/8th axis from the understanding transits combination.
• However, Mars/Ketu, as his Lagna lords, will ultimately keep him afloat.
• The 3^rd House represents short travels, and the native travelled a lot and launched new ventures/partnerships. Consistent guidance helps him stay positive in an otherwise challenging situation.

So, you can see how transits can impact your life and how remedies can mitigate the challenges.

Can countries also be affected during transits?

Yes!

Like humans, nations also have a birth time when they come into existence. For example, India gained its independence on August 15, 1947, and in India’s horoscope, in 2018, we saw the Mars/Ketu understanding transits in the 9th House of luck and worldview. In a country’s chart, the 9th House is crucial since every country/government needs a bit of success apart from able administration to do well. Here, we see a malefic understanding transits creating its share of misfortune, yet Mars/Ketu gave it a military win. So, let’s assess it closely:

• Fuel prices went up, leading to general displeasure.
• The incumbent government lost most by-elections.
• Mars/Ketu is karaka for army/defence. Hence the Opposition focused on corruption in defence expenditures (Rafael deal), but the procurement was a great success. The deal was pending for years.
• Demonetization did not yield desired results.
• The Indian Rupee underwent devaluation.
• Since Mars is its own House and 7th lord of the chart, the GDP was the highest globally, and India became the 6th most prosperous country (7th lord Mars exalted in 9th)!
• Mars/Ketu aspecting Cancer, Jala (Water) Rashi, led to the unfortunate Kerala floods.
• India handled the Doklam crisis with China with an iron fist, and the Indian military (Mars) dealt with it well.

Ketu is the 7th lord in India’s chart, and the understanding transits was overall very good for India’s GDP.

Finally, what are the remedies for a Mars/Ketu understanding transits?

Though solutions are never generic, here are my suggestions:

• There is a high degree of Agni/Fire in the air during understanding transits, so maintain your cool and don’t take hasty decisions. As a standard rule, sleep on your choices for a day.

• Don’t panic.

• Drink plenty of water and start swimming or going to the beach more often. In short, get friendly with water.

• Every year, the transits affect a different sign/House, and the cycle of impact keeps changing for the better or worse.

• Consult a qualified astrologer if you are going through a severe understanding transits challenge.

I hope your knowledge of understanding transits has gained an edge with my blog. As my Gurudev said to me, ‘Knowledge is an ocean; keep swimming’. Feel free to share if you liked it for others to benefit from the logical vedic astrology knowledge of our ancient sages.